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In the Punjabi city of Gujrat stands the Shrine of Shah Dola, one of Pakistan's most honoured Sufi saints. By the tomb of Shah Dola itself dozens of barren women pray, believing in a legend that they will become fertile by offering prayers there. But the legend also says that the first born of any mother who prays there will be deformed and have a rat-like tiny head, and must be surrendered to the shrine or be punished by God.
And so the superstitious folk of Pakistan do indeed hand their first born children over to the shrine, for fear of cosmic retribution, and indeed the children do all grow to be small headed deformed and mentally handicapped. But is the legend true?
Human Rights groups believe the rat children of Shah Dola are being deliberately deformed by having their heads fitted with iron caps which restrict their growth and also cause severe brain damage.
But why would anyone do such a terrible thing? In Pakistan it is widely accepted that the rat-children are closer to God and mustn't be ignored, therefore they make for lucrative beggars making twice as much money a day as a civil servant earns. Groups of the rat-children are led through the streets by their "owners" begging for money.
It is also reported that these rat-children are victims of persistent sexual abuse as their severe mental disabilities make them silent witnesses.
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Pakistani Rat Children
In the Punjabi city of Gujrat stands the Shrine of Shah Dola, one of Pakistan's most honoured Sufi saints. By the tomb of Shah Dola itself dozens of barren women pray, believing in a legend that they will become fertile by offering prayers there. But the legend also says that the first born of any mother who prays there will be deformed and have a rat-like tiny head, and must be surrendered to the shrine or be punished by God.
Human Rights groups believe the rat children of Shah Dola are being deliberately deformed by having their heads fitted with iron caps which restrict their growth and also cause severe brain damage.
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